Tag Archives: knee saga

here we go again…

11 Wednesday Mar 2026

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , ,

So after that disappointing attempt last week to get my GP to push for a new traumatology appt based on new x-rays (she wasn’t having it) I actually GOT A CALL TODAY from the hospital saying I had an appointment for my knee… tomorrow! And well damn, that wasn’t happening because I have two couples booked for a sherry tasting at the exact same time, so I asked if we could find another date. And so now it’s going to be on March 23rd, ten-ish days from now. Which is better than nuthin. I hope.

You may recall that back in August during my last traumatology appointment they did basically nothing but ask for more x-rays, give me a useless jab in the knee, tell me to take opioids (as well as the usual lose weight, ride a bike, go to the pool) and then said they’d see me again in three months. THREE MONTHS. So I am not expecting that when I show up next time they are going to suddenly say… a knee operation? Well why didn’t you just say so? How’s next Thursday?

They keep fucking me around. Like last time they said they needed the new x-rays to determine if my arthrosis had developed to the point that they could request a knee replacement. When I told them I was actually more interested in having the torn meniscus repaired – because that was actually causing all the serious pain and it’s a fairly minor op – they said they couldn’t okay that until they saw the extent of the arthrosis, even saying that an attempt to repair the meniscus before having that info could make things even worse. Fucking what?

You’re seeing the pattern, right? Here, get these x-rays or this MRI taken so we can make a decision on your treatment. But then by the time I get the follow-up appointment the test results are already too old to be useful and so… yep… need to retake those tests. And it goes round and round. Meanwhile, as long as they are “following protocol” and writing in their reports that they have told me to lose weight, go to the pool, ride a bike and take pain killers, and have requested new tests, then they are off the hook. Next!

Watch this space. I was hoping to get a friend to come with me as back up but the only person I can think of who might actually be able to help isn’t available. Well, I have ten-ish days to prepare. Wish me luck!

today’s bleak

06 Friday Mar 2026

Posted by in health, knee saga, knees, sevilla

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

, ,

Yeah, it looked like this today, which was bleak enough. But it was also a bleak day because, yep, another let down re: the Knee Saga. Last month I had the bright idea to ask my GP to make a new appointment with the traumatologist based on the new xrays I had done in November as the ones taken in August hadn’t been done correctly. Due to this and that the GP appt was postponed until today and, although I knew it was a long shot, I’m still disappointed it didn’t work out. I was told, without a hint of irony, that the records show I have been up for a three-month revision since August and so she cannot ask for a new one even though a new test had been done since then because it was for the same thing. Aaargh. I’m so tired. And it hurts.

 

tipped off

12 Monday Jan 2026

Posted by in health, knee saga, sevilla

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, ,

About six or more months ago I bought new rubber tips for my crutches because I saw they were wearing out. I mean, I’ve had these guys for years. I started off with just one, for when I had bouts of sciatia, but then graduated to two the first time I sprained my left ankle (found out years later when I sprained both and got them x-rayed that the original “sprain” had actually been a fracture). 

Anyhow, I’d been putting off replacing them since the first time I tried removing the tips months ago. Those fuckers were welded on! I looked on YouTube… “just bend and twist them”… yeah right. But finally I couldn’t keep putting it off after I was suddenly walking on metal when the crutch shaft broke through the worn out rubber tip. But I mean, there was no way any twisting or turning was going to get the old ones off. And then I thought… exacto knife?

The surgery was carefully performed on the office table with the crutch shaft safely secured while I very slowly sliced and sliced and sliced my way through the rubber until I hit metal. Then I was able to peel the two sides apart and THEN twist it off. Phew. Hopefully that’s it now for another 15 years… 

churros therapy…

17 Monday Nov 2025

Posted by in health, hospitals, knee saga, knees, sevilla, spain

≈ 4 Comments

Tags

, , ,

Nope, I’m not in Jerez. This is that other only time I eat churros – after an early-morning doctor’s appointment. Remember back when I showed you this video and was concerned because it said that to evaluate the progression of knee arthrosis the surgeon needs to see a weight-bearing x-ray, and for the ones taken in August I was lying on a metal table-bed thing.

So I got in touch with my GP (phone appt) and asked if she could request a weight-bearing knee x-ray for me before my next (ha!) surgeon’s appointment. She had a look at the x-rays on her computer and said that the report said they were weight-bearing (con carga), but I told her I distinctly remembered lying down because when they turned my legs to the side it hurt. She said that was for the lateral ones, the front ones were done standing up according to the chart. Which I don’t remember at all. These were done in a mobile unit x-ray station outside the hospital and I was sure I got up on the table and they did both x-rays that way. Or was I? Fuck. Thinking back, there didn’t even seem to be enough room in there to do a standing up x-ray. Anyhow, I convinced her to make another x-ray appointment for me which was today. At 9.00 in the morning at a health centre way the fuck far away.

Last week I tried to change the appointment to a later time (sometimes you can do this online) but couldn’t find a way, nor could I find a number to call. So whatever. It would have to be today at 9.00. I already knew I would spend a mostly sleepless night (and I was right!) but the other thing was that Storm Claudia still wasn’t done with us, though according to the weather office she’d be clearing out by noon today. Damn. Well, maybe I’d have some luck? Spoiler alert – nope.

Continue reading →